The Birthday Gift
by TrinityWildcat
Summary: Sitting in a New York bar, Mike Logan reflects on his first week with the Major Case Squad, and on what an attractive woman Alex Eames is. His libido might be about to make his life very complicated.
1. Chapter 1

**Very Important Note**: This does not contain anything graphic, apart from a few slashy thoughts and some language. It is, however, a prequel to my fellow writer **brynna's** fic, "The Birthday Girl", which features a threesome between Goren, Eames & Logan. If this is not your thing, please don't leave me angry reviews about the subject matter.

Also, don't worry, I've not given up on the Bobby & Sienna series. More fic is forthcoming soon, I just needed to get this one out of my system!

_I am no longer in Staten Island._

Mike Logan grinned, and took another sip of his drink. He was sitting watching the Friday night sports channel in Mallory's Bar with two other NYPD detectives and his second bourbon of the night in his hand. "Watching" was a euphemism; like half of the other inhabitants of the bar, who were mostly NYPD in varying shapes and sizes, what they were really doing was using the giant screen as an excuse to stare vacantly into the distance, drink, and not have to relate to any other human beings at the end of a long and tiring week.

Abbott was using it as an excuse not to have to go home and face his family yet after a week spent on an exhausting double-murder case. Baines was using it as an excuse to drink and build up more courage to try again with some of the women in the bar, after his ungrateful girlfriend, one of the younger female uniformed cops in Mallory's that Friday night, had just told him she wasn't interested. That was his way of putting it, anyway. Logan, who'd been at the bar in hearing distance when it had happened and overheard their exchange (Baines: "…and by the way, I'm aware you've been faking it lately"; Moran: "Oh, I'm not faking – I really am asleep") was privately on the girlfriend's side and thought that "ditched him like the loser he was" was closer to it.

Logan himself was using it as an excuse to sit and savour two things; a good bourbon, and the thought that kept repeating in his head. Every time he thought it was going away, it would repeat itself with a different emphasis, and he'd grin all over again. _I am NO LONGER in Staten Island_. He raised the glass briefly; here was to James Deakins, Major Case and never, ever, again having to set foot on Staten-fucking-Island.

Ten years of his life. Ten years. _Ah, don't go there, Logan, you'll spoil a good night_, he told himself, and distracted himself by looking round the bar. The inhabitants who weren't watching the giant screen were getting a head start on the night's drinking, and the noise was rising to ear-splitting levels. By and large, they were split into two groups; males on one side, eyeing up the females on the other. On the other side of the bar, Logan could see Officer Moran, she of the witty rejoinder, in deep and animated conversation with his new partner, Carolyn Barek, and the other senior female Major Case detective, Alex Eames.

They were probably halfway through the character assassination of Eddie Baines, he thought with a grin. Well, the guy _was_ an ass. He was half-tempted to wait for Barek and Eames to visit the ladies' room and make a play for Moran himself. Yeah, that would be a good end to the week. Not only was he back in the game as a Major Case detective, he would carry off the fair maiden right under Baines' nose. Show the younger man exactly how it was done. He had a reputation as a ladies' man to keep up, after all.

He grinned again, and finished his drink. One welcome side-effect of joining Major Case was that he felt about ten years younger. It was as though Staten Island had been a long nightmare and now he'd woken up, thank God, and his libido had woken up too. Or maybe it was just the effect of being sat in a bar with the cream of the NYPD's female officers, very much off-duty and letting their hair down. He strolled across to the bar, not expecting to get served any time soon, but intending to take the opportunity to have a good look at Moran, work out his strategy. He looked around, playing it casual, aware that Barek and Eames would spot him eyeing up Moran if he was too obvious about it, and then promptly start shredding _his_ character like cabbage in a Cuisinart.

There were women everywhere, he thought happily, and every kind of woman. Slender and elegant, rounded and curvy, trim and muscular, mature and lush. Young and vivacious, older and tougher, sharp and funny. He liked 'em all. Take Alex Eames, for example. Now _there_ was an interesting lady. A woman of contrasts, he thought, an intriguing challenge. Trim, muscular arms and legs, but a mature body that had borne a child. A petite blonde with elegant features, whose force of personality hit you the moment you started talking to her. A tough, intelligent cop with the compassion to volunteer to give her sister the gift of a child, going through the pregnancy and giving birth, and then giving the baby to her sister – that had to have been a big personal sacrifice. A professional woman with an evil sense of humour. And, let's face it, someone who could put up with Goren for years without going crazy.

Bobby Goren, now there was a thought… _a thought you should be going nowhere near, Mikey-boy_, he thought sternly, pulling himself up and reining in his thoughts. He watched across the bar as Barek left the other two cops with a backward wave, apparently calling it a night. One thing he _was_ grateful for was that, whilst he was not unaware that his new partner was a very attractive woman, she wasn't the type that had his thoughts wandering off down the wrong path. He never wanted to see Staten Island again, and that meant making a big success of his new position in the Major Case Squad. Getting the hots for his partner would be a major obstacle, and one he was glad not to be dealing with. _Still, _he thought to himself with a snicker, _doesn't seem to have stopped Goren & Eames._

The exact nature of their relationship had long been a source of scurrilous discussion among members of the Major Case squad and other detectives who'd met the two of them. The more romantic assumed that a relationship that close had to have led to something more; the more earthy-minded assumed that Eames had to have a pretty good reason for sticking with whack-job Goren. Cue references to Goren's height, build, and shoe size, nudge-nudge, wink-wink.

Logan himself had been reserving judgement until he worked with the two of them. Sure, they officially couldn't have a relationship – frat regs and all – but anyone who'd been a cop long enough had seen cases where a blind eye was turned rather than lose two good officers, or split up a winning team. He'd still not been sure until the fourth day he'd been there. Goren had been in late due to his wanting to consult one of his many useful friends and acquaintances about a case before starting work, so Logan had volunteered to make the Friday morning Starbucks run whilst Goren caught up on his paperwork. He'd been trying out his brand of flirtatious charm on a grateful Alex Eames as he handed her the coffee, more from habit than anything else, when he'd noticed, in the corner of his eye, a brief flicker of movement. Goren had looked up from his desk for just a second.

Anyone other than a cop would have missed it. Hell, even some cops would have missed it. But Logan had seen it, and Barek too. Just for the briefest second, Goren had looked up and glared at Logan, and it was an expression no man could fail to recognise: _stay off my territory_. Then, of course, it had been replaced by a polite smile, followed by Goren returning to his paperwork. But it made for a marked contrast with Goren's behaviour so far. The big detective couldn't have been more welcoming to the new guy, albeit in his own weird way. As Eames returned to her desk, Logan and Barek had busted out the telepathic eyebrows; him with the raised eyebrow and quizzical look of _You think they're making it?_, her with the dual raised eyebrow and firm nod of _Yes, for definite_.

Since then they'd both watched unobtrusively, and if you knew to look carefully, it was pretty obvious. Logan had to hand to the two of them, though, it was a neat job of hiding a relationship in plain sight. So they spent most of their time together? Goren and Eames had always spent most of their time together, it was why they were so good. So Eames sometimes ate over at Goren's place at very late hours? Everyone knew they worked long hours and Goren was a good cook. So Goren's hands tended to linger on Eames' arms and shoulders just a second or so too long? Everyone knew he had no awareness of other people's personal space, except as a way of unsettling perps for long enough to get them to slip up. So each of them acted a little protective of the other? Mark of a good partnership.

Logan had puzzled for a while over whether Deakins knew, and eventually concluded that he did, but had reached an unspoken agreement with Goren & Eames; if they didn't do anything obvious to draw it to his attention, he wouldn't do anything that might break up the team with one of the highest solve rates in the history of the Major Case squad. God, Goren was a lucky bastard, Logan thought, admiring Eames' figure in the sleeveless blouse she was wearing. Brains, beauty, and a 9mm in her waistband. _That_ was a woman. Damn, he could go for that right now. He couldn't stop himself idly wondering about what she was like in bed. He'd guess that she knew exactly what she wanted, and if you were willing to provide it, there probably wasn't much she'd not do in return. Ah well… fun to think about; not like he'd ever get a chance to find out.

As for Goren himself… maybe it was the bourbon, but Logan couldn't quite seem to stop his thoughts running off in the wrong direction. The big detective had just entered the bar, joining Eames as Moran headed off to join a group of the younger female uniformed officers who were just setting off to explore some of the wilder nightlife on offer in the area. He'd kept on his black suit pants, but changed out of the shirt and tie he'd been wearing earlier into a short-sleeved open-necked red shirt. A practical idea given the heat levels in the bar; Logan had ditched his own jacket and tie an hour back and pushed his own shirtsleeves back.

The shirt suited Goren, Logan couldn't help noticing. A flashier colour than he'd ever seen the other man wearing in the office, but it kinda suited the guy's colouring, bringing out the tanned skin and dark brown eyes he'd inherited from whatever Italian ancestor was present somewhere back in the Goren family tree. Showed off the man's powerful shoulders and arms, too, and the open-neck showed a little dark chest hair, nearly as tempting as a low-cut top would be on a female, if you were in a mood to notice that kind of thing... quite a lot of the female attention in the bar had suddenly started pointing itself towards Goren, but he only had eyes for Eames, and she for him. They were laughing together at the bar, and Logan felt a sudden piercing shaft of envy. It was not a good sign, he thought angrily, that he couldn't quite tell who he was envious of.

He sighed, and shook his head. He'd known since he was a young man that whilst he really, really liked women, he could also swing both ways. The twin combination of the AIDs epidemic of the 1980s, and the fact that the NYPD wasn't the greatest place in the world for anyone whose sexual preferences weren't purely straight, meant that he'd been off the market for his own sex pretty much permanently, though there had been the odd dalliance, here and there… but mostly, he stuck to women.

Didn't stop him noticing men, though, and if you were the type to notice men in that kinda way, Goren was pretty damn near good enough to eat. Logan had never been one for the pretty-but-brainless type, preferring his partners – male and female – to have a bit more personality, present more of a challenge... and Jesus, Goren would be a hell of a challenge, with that quirky, infuriating but fascinating mind, those dark good looks, that big powerful build, _that_ _purposeful expression, heading toward me, right now, oh SHIT_. He suddenly realised that he'd been staring vaguely in the direction of Goren and Eames for the past ten minutes whilst his mind had been busy. Looked like Goren had picked up on it. He sighed, repeated to himself, _I do NOT want to go back to Staten Island_, and prepared to sit there and swallow whatever 'Stay the fuck away from my girlfriend' speech Goren was about to deliver.

_Way to fuck up a good evening, Mike_, he thought morosely.

4


	2. View from a Bar Stool, One Foot Away

Logan watched resignedly as Goren ploughed his way through the hordes of drinkers towards his seat at the bar. For a big guy, he was surprisingly light on his feet, but then all police officers learned ways of getting through crowds. Goren reached him and dropped heavily onto the vacant seat next to him.

"You, uh… you want a drink?"

_Yeah, why don't you make sure I'll just sit here without moving while you give me the "Hands off" speech_? Logan thought sourly. Then again, the alcohol would at least make it more bearable. "Yeah, why not? I'm drinkin' bourbon."

"Uh huh." Goren stood up and leaned across the bar. The barmaid miraculously found time to serve him, despite the huge queue waiting. Or possibly it was just the appealing shy smile Goren was aiming in her direction. Logan had heard Goren could be pretty damn charming when he put his mind to it; he had to agree with that assessment. He sighed. Jesus, this was a weird situation.

Goren handed him the drink, and supped some of his own beer. "How are you… how are you finding life in Major Case?"

"Good."

"That's great. Eames and I are glad to have the help."

_Could you cut to the chase, already? Stop dicking around with the small talk and let's get this over with. _

"I noticed you looking at her, earlier."

_Fuck, IS he psychic?_ Logan shrugged, deciding to play nonchalant. "Not a crime to look."

Goren chuckled. "Yeah, if I took exception to everyone who eyes up Alex I'd spend my whole life doing nothing but that. Well, most of it." He grinned and drank a little more beer. 

_ALEX?_ He was far too professional to let his reaction show on his face, but inside Logan's mind was racing. That was as good as an open admission that the two of them were an item, and that wasn't the sort of information either Goren or Eames would want spreading around. How much beer had Goren had, anyway? In the time he'd been in the bar, he could only have had one beer, nowhere near enough to get a guy Goren's size drunk, a little buzzed, maybe, but no more. Why would he want Logan to be in on the secret that he and Eames were an item? _He wants something from me in exchange_, he realised. _What the hell's going on?_ This was real interesting all of a sudden.

He kept up the nonchalance. Let Goren work towards whatever he was getting at. "Yeah, she's a stunning lady."

"That she is. It's her birthday next week. Forty."

_Jeez, Goren, if you go around spreading that kind of information about your girlfriends, no wonder you never used to get any_. "No shit? She doesn't look it."

Goren chuckled, and rolled his eyes humorously. "Yeah, but you try telling her that. I've tried, but… she doesn't believe me."

"Uh huh."

The other man sighed, and stared off into the distance. "I think maybe she needs to hear it from someone who's not me. I want this to be a special birthday for her. I can buy her things, but she has all the possessions she needs, that won't make her happy. She and I got to talking recently. Things we wished we'd done when we were younger, things we wish we could do…"

This was getting stranger. Still, it was better than the "Stay the fuck away from my girlfriend" speech. If all he had to do was listen to Goren ramble drunkenly, he'd have gotten away lightly. He tried to rein in his awareness of Goren, and of Eames too, a graceful figure just at the edge of his field of vision. Still, that was easier to ignore than Goren. He was beginning to feel the effects of the long years without a man very, very acutely. Goren was only about a foot away from him now, and having to lean in close to speak. Logan was trying desperately to tamp down his awareness of Goren's physical presence, his scent of beer, soap, and… maleness. _Don't react, don't react, this could turn into the mother of all embarrassing situations_, he thought frantically. _Big, powerful thighs and if he turns any further toward me in those thin pants, I'm going to be seeing whether those rumours are true…STOP thinking that way, you moron! _

"A whole lot of things… you want to take a guess at what her's was?"

_No, I want to stop wishing like fuck that you'd say that YOURS was to sleep with a guy, "just to see what it feels like," because right now I'd give ANYTHING to hear that. Hell, Eames can watch_. "I hate guessing games. Prefer just to yell at 'em until they tell me what they're getting at."

Goren smiled, a strange little smile. He was a little flushed, Logan noticed. Was it the heat, or something more? "Okay, well, hers was to have a threesome. Me, her, and another guy."

_Oh God. And you're telling me this because… _

Goren was still talking. "Which threw me a little, but if it would make her happy…"

Logan interrupted him. "Lemme see if I can cut to the chase here. You want to give her that for her birthday, and you're either telling me this 'cause you want me to tell you it's a fucking dumb idea, or…"

Goren made eye contact, which did nothing whatsoever to calm Logan's troubled state of mind. If anything, the sight of those sleepy brown eyes staring deep into his, naked, vulnerable – it surely couldn't be easy for him to tell someone else, a virtual stranger, that his girlfriend wanted to sleep with another man, even though he'd be there at the time… what did that say about how much he must feel he could trust Logan? – was making it difficult for him to frame a coherent thought, let alone finish his sentence.

"…you want me to be the other guy."

"Yeah." Goren's voice was low, and Logan guessed this wasn't too easy for him. "I thought about it… figured it had to be someone we could trust, someone who wouldn't run off and tell everyone about us… we're not really supposed to be together." He shrugged, and spread his hands (those big, graceful, skilful hands that Logan could very easily imagine doing all sorts of things to him). "That and, well, she likes you, I've seen her noticing you, and obviously you're keen on her… so what do you think?"

_What, BOTH of you? Together? FUCK YEAH! Oh shit, did I say that out loud?_ A quick glance at Goren's unchanged expression reassured him he hadn't. "Well, I'm real flattered to be asked. I mean, any man who looks at her would want to, I can't believe she doesn't know that." 

They both stared across at Eames, who seemed to be aware of it through sheer female instinct; without turning round, she arched her back a little, then turned and smiled at them both over her shoulder, the soft curve of her breast just visible. Both men were rapt, fascinated by her, and Logan was struck again by what a stunning woman Alex Eames was, and what a strange situation this was, to be sat next to a man he would give anything to sleep with, when both of them were staring at the same woman and wishing they were in bed with her. A woman, who, in turn, was aware of their attention and aroused by it – that flush on Eames' cheeks surely couldn't be just heat. But then, that was her right, Logan thought, a little feverishly. She was the alpha female of their little pack, and it was only right that both the alpha males should be chasing her.

He turned to look at Goren, trying desperately not to let his reaction to the sight of the man, sitting there, big body a little tense, nervous. What Logan wouldn't give to be able to relax that tension, imagining the two of them kissing, Goren's powerful body laid out underneath him, accepting his exploration, his hands, his mouth… _don't go there, Mike, he invited you to sleep with his girlfriend, not him_. "Well… you mind if I take a little time to think about this?" He lifted the glass in his mind, trying to imply that this wasn't the sort of decision he thought he should take whilst drunk.

"Uh… yeah, sure. Can you let me know soon? It's her birthday a week today."

_Boy, that'll be a long week, especially if the two of us are gonna be spending it exchanging knowing looks._ That reminded him. "You going to tell her first, or is it gonna be a surprise?"

"A surprise." Goren looked a little awkward. "I know she really does want to do it, but if I tell her in advance she might get cold feet. But she needs someone other than me to reassure her, and it has to be someone she respects…"

He looked even more awkward, and Logan was moved to reply reassuringly, "Well, I guess she thinks you'd think she looked hot whatever she looked like."

"Yes, I would."

That came out very softly, and Logan felt a new shaft of envy, not just physical this time, but something more than that. He was not the settling down type himself, never had been, but he guessed anyone could sometimes feel a longing to have someone else in the world who cared about them. Goren and Eames were so perfectly suited to each other.

"Well, I'll think about it, but… I think I'm gonna say yes, Goren. Can't turn down a woman like Eames." _Or a man like you, even if all I get to do is just see you naked. Jesus, I should NOT think thoughts like that til I get out of this bar! _

Goren smiled with a flash of even white teeth, doing unfortunate things to Logan's attempts at self-control. _Those teeth, nipping at me, my ears, my neck, marking my shoulders…don't go there! _"That's great, Logan. Let me know for sure soon, will you?"

"Not a problem. We'll make it good for her… real good." And for you, too, if you give me a chance.

"It will be."

He hated to say this, but with the wisdom of his older years (and the remnants of his determination never to see Staten Island again), he knew he had to ask. "You're okay with seeing your girlfriend with another man?"

Goren smiled again, a small, enigmatic smile. "Yeah, so long as I'm there at the time."

_Oh, I don't wanna think about what THAT means, or rather I do, just not here_. Without thinking, he blurted out. "So, what was on your wishlist?"

Goren looked surprised, then smiled again, said nothing in reply, and left, with "Speak to you later," tossed casually over his shoulder. Logan drained the bourbon in one gulp, stared into space for a while, then waved to Goren and Eames and left the bar in search of fresh air and some peace of mind.

An hour later, having gotten Chinese take-out and a taxi home more or less on autopilot, he was sprawled on his couch at home in the old pair of sweat pants he usually slept in, picking at the food and not really hearing the TV. Goren's proposal had knocked him off balance, all right. He'd said he'd think about it, but he was lying. He already knew what he'd answer. It might be smarter not to say yes, to plead professional reserve, but he'd be lying, and Goren sure as hell would pick up on that. Besides, he couldn't stop thinking about it, picturing the three of them together, puzzling over what Goren had meant by those last, mysterious, words. He wasn't anywhere near sure, but he couldn't resist thinking – well, hoping – that somewhere on Goren's wishlist was an urge to experiment a little.

_Would I be his first_? he thought suddenly. The thought caused him to freeze, hand midway to the foil takeout container, sweating slightly. Obviously, he wouldn't be Goren's first _ever_ – he and Eames had to have been sleeping together for some time, and Logan would bet that young soldier Goren had cut quite a swathe through the female population wherever he'd been posted – but the thought of being Goren's first man, showing him what it could be like with someone whose body worked in exactly the same way, who knew exactly what to do, where to touch, whilst Eames watched, maybe even joining in herself… Jesus. That was a fantasy, all right, one he'd give anything to have come true.

With a sigh, he reminded himself that Goren hadn't said anything about the two of them together, just about pleasuring Eames. Well, that in itself would be enough to make the whole damn thing worthwhile. The thought of them together… they were together right now, he realised, looking at the clock. They'd have left the bar by now. He had a sudden clear image of Eames snuggled up against Goren with a blissful expression, her head resting on his shoulder, his huge arms wrapped protectively around her. It didn't take much imagination to insert himself into the picture, spooned up close behind Eames, breathing in her scent, her soft, sleek body pressed tight against his (Goren's arm against his chest, the other man's legs tangled with his, and with Eames'…).

He smiled to himself, the sudden flash of white teeth that never failed to charm others, and nodded to himself, rising off the couch and heading towards his bed. It would be a long week, he thought, but this time next week? That fantasy would be a reality. _And maybe a few others will be too_, he thought, and grinned.

FIN


End file.
